Ivory Coast: Meningitis outbreak kills 11 during first three days of February

This particular article highlights why organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and the like are so important!  It doesn't matter if these people are in a distant nation, or are poor, or whatever the case may be.  They are still people, and having people suffer and die from something that is preventable is a crime.  And this doesn't only happen in third world countries.  Meningitis also happens in the US, especially in places where a lot of people live together, such as at a university.  And this $5 shot absolutely nets "big pharma" much less than the $250,000 course of treatment for meningitis...  Just get vaccinated already.

There have been 40 cases of meningitis reported in four departments across the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) during the first three days of February 2012, including 11 fatalities.
The outbreak reported Friday has caused people to seek out vaccinations for their families.
According to an Integrated Regional Information Networks report:

The ministry of health has declared the outbreaks in the Kouto and Tengrela regions as epidemics, and are providing free vaccinations in both locations through mobile health teams.
They are achieving this with the help of the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

The report also notes that the cost for the meningitis vaccine costs $5 USD for and $3 for groups in the cities of Saminkro and Kani. The costs are too much for many families, which has caused them to lobby for cheaper vaccines.
However, as Jeremie Ipo, director of the district health centre in the village of Poungbè in Korhogo region notes that the cost is based on economics, “We can only reduce the price of the vaccine as soon as there are enough people demanding it.”

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